1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a connector, particularly a connector for use in the wiring of a vehicle such as an automobile.
2. Description of Related Art
A connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-213436 is described below. The connector has a housing into which a plurality of terminals are inserted from a rear portion thereof and a bus bar holder in which a holding member holds a plurality of bus bars each of which has a tab piece projecting from a side edge of a belt-shaped carrier. The bus bar holder is inserted into an opening at the front surface of the housing to connect the tab pieces with the terminals. In this manner, the terminal fittings are electrically connected to each other.
It is also known to lock the terminals into a position in the housing with a plurality of respective locking lances. Theses lances may project outwardly from the housing if the terminals are not fully inserted.
The tab pieces project from the holding member of the bus bar holder and are externally exposed. Therefore, when the bus bar holder is packed in a bag or a box for delivery, or when it is installed to the housing, other bus bar holders may catch on the tab pieces. Thus, there is a risk that the tab pieces can be deformed or damaged.
To prevent such risk, it is known to use a bus bar holder having a protective cylindrical sleeve which accommodates the tab pieces. This construction has an advantage of helping to prevent the tab pieces from being deformed or broken.
Also, with this arrangement the bus bar holder is capable of detecting incomplete insertion of the terminals in the connector housing. When the terminals are fully inserted into the connector housing, the sleeve can be installed onto the housing without interfering with the locking members which hold the terminals in place. On the other hand, when any of terminals is not properly inserted into the connector housing, the respective locking member projects from the peripheral surface of the housing and collides with the end surface of the sleeve on installation. That is, the proper or improper insertion of the terminals can be detected by whether the sleeve interferes with the locking members.
However, when a projecting lance collides with the cylindrical sleeve, the lance may flex excessively, possibly breaking or damaging the lance.